The second Kyoto University–National Taiwan University Symposium held in Kyoto (1-2 September 2014)

On 1–2 September 2014, the second Kyoto University–National Taiwan University Symposium was held at Kyoto University. The symposium follows the inaugural event on 19–20 December 2013 hosted by National Taiwan University (NTU). A delegation of over 110 NTU scholars and staff members traveled to Kyoto to attend the symposium, attracting over 300 participants in total, including faculty, students, and staff of Kyoto University.

The symposium is one of a series of events held in accordance with Kyoto University's international strategy, "The 2x by 2020 Initiative" formulated in June 2013. Through active involvement in such events, the university aims to consolidate its position as a leading international university and enhance its international presence by contributing to the global academic community.

The symposium opened with addresses by Dr Hiroshi Matsumoto, President of Kyoto University, and Dr Pan-Chyr Yang, President of NTU. The speeches were followed by presentations about the two institutions given by Dr Michiaki Mishima, Executive Vice-President for International Affairs and Hospital Administration, Kyoto University, and Professor Luisa Shu-Ying Chang, Dean of the Office for International Affairs at NTU. Subsequently, a signing ceremony was held to conclude memoranda of understanding for faculty exchange and a double degree program agreement between the two universities. These agreements will enable a more strategic and multifaceted partnership between all parties involved, promote collaboration in research, and encourage exchange of students and faculty.

Following the signing ceremony, the keynote lectures were delivered by Professor Susumu Noda from the Department of Electronic Science and Engineering of Kyoto University's Graduate School of Engineering, who discussed the development of a high-performance micro-laser, and Professor K Arnold Chan, Director of the Clinical Trial Center, NTU Hospital, who introduced a project to promote industry-academia collaboration for medical product development.

In the afternoon, fourteen parallel sessions covered diverse fields spanning the natural sciences to the humanities and social sciences. The sessions provided scholars with an opportunity to present their research achievements and to exchange knowledge and ideas with their peers.

At the evening reception, a special lecture was delivered by Professor Yasuyuki Kono, Director of Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and there was an a cappella performance by Kyoto University students.

The parallel sessions continued on the second day of the symposium, after which representatives from each field-specific group reported on the results of their discussions and prospects for future research collaboration. The symposium was then brought to a close with addresses by Professor Liang-Gee Chen, Vice President for Academic Affairs at NTU, and Professor Kiyoshi Yoshikawa, Executive Vice-President for Research, Kyoto University.